3/4/2007
 

You are reading the first English language newsletter of the National Radio and Television Commission (hereinafter: the Commission). In this newsletter and hopefully in the following ones – we intend to inform our English speaking partners on the most important developments in the Hungarian electronic media as well as on the regulatory environment and on the activity of the Commission.  

Pursuant to the obligations stipulated in section 43 subsection 1 of Act I of 1996 on radio and television broadcasting (hereinafter: the Media Act), the Commission submitted its annual report to Parliament (hereinafter: the Report) on its activity in 2006. In this first newsletter you will be reading a short overview of the Report.

According to section 43 subsection 1 ORTT shall send its report concerning the previous year’s activity to Parliament by March 1 of each year. According to the Media Act the following issues should be evaluated in the report:

Yet, apart from the above described mandatory content elements, the 504 page document also provides an extensive overview of the Commission’s administrative activity and the problems it has been facing for years. The Report is supplemented with 8 appendices including a complete list of national, regional and local radio and television broadcasters. 

Traditionally, the Report also reflects on the most important events in the broadcasting sector and the analysis contained in the Report enable the readers to obtain an all round picture on the Hungarian electronic media. In 2006, such an important events were the General Elections in Spring, and the elections of the Local Governments in Autumn, the media presentation of the disastrous storm on the 20th of August and the disturbances on the streets of Budapest in September. The Report also provides an extensive overview of the measures on the protection of minors and of the most important court cases involving the Commission. 

According to the Report, the Hungarian electronic media became even more diverse in 2006. 104 new cable and satellite broadcasters applied for registration, while the Commission provided another 32 frequencies for the launch of terrestrial broadcasting. Within the framework of cable distribution – as a new platform - 3 undertakings providing IPTV services had been registered and started operation last year. The Report also notes, that in 2006, the problems concerning the minority programmes of the Hungarian public service radio – Magyar Rádió –  were resolved. After the switching-off of the 70 MHz band of Magyar Radio, the Commission provided another middle wave frequency for the minority broadcasts of the public service radio. The Commission also gave its assent to the Radio’s request to transmit the parliamentary broadcast on another frequency.    

Upon scrutinizing the environment in which media services are rendered, the Commission was again confronted with the harsh reality: the Media Act in its present status can hardly cope with the challenges posed by the technical developments in the electronic media as well as in telecommunications. This is not only detrimental to law enforcement but it also limits the activities of the market players and exerts a negative influence on them.

However, the outdated regulatory framework raises other problems as well. In line with the relevant EU policy, Hungary should switch off analogue broadcasting by 2012, which requires swift and effective actions by the State. In 2006, the developments on digital switchover gained momentum. The bill on digital terrestrial transmission drafted by the Ministry of Informatics and Communications was submitted to Parliament, but was later withdrawn due to the large number of proposals for modification and with regards to the fast approaching parliamentary elections.

In the autumn of 2006, the Prime Minister’s Office took over the remit of the preparation for the digital switchover from the legal successor of the Ministry of Informatics and Communications, the Ministry of Economics and Transport. As a first step, the Prime Minister’s Office published in November 2006, a study on the “Digital Switchover Strategy”. The Commission submitted its opinion on the study and –while giving due credit to the merits of the study – it also expressed its reservations by pointing to the lack of emphasis on the issues in relation to media politics.

The Commission’s reflections on the Digital Switchover Strategy is public and can be accessed at the website of the Prime Minister’s Office. The Report also analyses the most important implications of the RRC06 international conference, which ended in Geneva on the 16th June, 2006. According to the agreement signed by the participants representing 101 states, Hungary acquired 8 television and 3 radio multiplexes. With the currently used MPEG-2 technology, 4-5 television channels, or 6-8 radio channels may be broadcast on one multiplex, however with the more sophisticated MPEG-4 technology this capacity might be doubled. 

The Commission tried to address the request from the political parties represented in Parliament, according to which, the Commission should not only refer to the shortcomings of the Media Act but  it should take an active role in sorting out the discrepancies in the regulatory framework. After a preparatory period of almost two years, the Expert Committee for Legislative Preparation – established under the Commission’s auspices – sent its draft act on electronic media services to the President of the Parliament, as well as to the Cultural and Press Committee of the Parliament and to the Prime Minister’s Office in charge of media regulation in Hungary. The draft act encompasses a brand new regulatory approach. According to the general reasoning of the draft act “ Act I of 1996 on radio and television broadcasting has served its purpose, yet the experience coming from its operation and the environment which has changed dramatically asks not for its modification but the drafting of a new Media Act”.

The Expert Committee was assisted in its work by the Institute of Applied Communication Sciences. The Report also provides a brief overview of the work of the Institute, which was established by the Commission in 2005. The institute published a number of books and booklets in connection with communication and the media. It also launched the so-called Open Encyclopaedia for Communication Sciences. The Encyclopaedia is a web application, which can be accessed on both sides i.e. the author’s and the readers side. In the technical sense, it is a CMS – content management system application. The Institute commissioned a number of studies on the Hungarian media and participated in the organisation of two major conferences. The first conference was organised in cooperation with the Gáspár Károli University, on the challenges posed by the advent of the digital era and the possible modification of the regulatory framework for audiovisual services. The other involvement was the participation in the conference entitled “European Television Dialogue”, which was organised in Budapest in the summer of 2006. The English language information booklet of the conference was prepared by the Institute.        

Despite the constant shrinking of its financial resources, the Commission allocated a hefty sum for the support of the electronic media in 2006. The Broadcasting Fund had issued 14 calls for tender in a value of HUF 1.2 billion from which HUF 672.9 million were awarded in 2006. Out of the 110 individual requests submitted to the Commission, 76 were granted financial support in a total value of HUF 309.3 million.

Together with the Hungarian Moving Picture Foundation the Commission issued a tender for the support of the production of television films, television series and drama. The Commission also issued a tender together with the Ministry of Education and Culture for the screen adaptation of literary works for children and for the production television programmes focusing on history, culture and Hungarian music. Together with the Ministry of Justice and Police, a tender was issued for the support of programmes informing on legal matters.

It has now been a longstanding tradition that twice a year a festival is organised to showcase the films, which were produced with the Commission’s financial support. The festivals entitled ”Mustra” were held in Miskolc, and in Győr in 2006. The festivals always attract great interest from the public and are also important for critical interest, thus the Commission has decided to carry on with them in 2007 as well.

As another important change in 2006, the composition of the Commission was modified as a result of the outcome of the General Elections. The new group of Members of Parliament – the Christian Democratic People’s Party – nominated Mr. László Meszleny, who was elected by Parliament as new member of the Commission. As a result, the number of members of the Commission rose to six.

The Report was adopted by Parliament with a majority decision on the 26th of March, 2006. However, beside its pivotal aim to report on the operation of Commission to Parliament, the Report has also been a very useful source of information for academic purposes, with special regards to the number of analyses in it, according to university lecturers and students.   

Sincerely Yours:

Éva Vékony
Spokesperson
Országos Rádió és Televízió Testület
1088 Budapest, Reviczky u. 5
Phone:36-1- 429-8650, Fax:36-1- 429-8765
E-mail: szovivo@ortt.hu

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